Explosive and process of making same.



50 California, have invented ing medium, or

Unrrnn Sra'rns Patented May 5, 1903.

MELVIN \V. BEARDSLEY, O

EXPL'CJSWE AND F OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

PROCESS OF iVlAKlNG SAME SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Eatent No.

727,062, dated May 5, 1903.

Application filed January 5, 1903. Serial No. 137,907. (No specimens.)

To (MZ whom, it may concern:

Be itknown thatldtlnnvnt W. BEARDSLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of a new and useful Improvement in Explosives and Processes of Manufacture, which the following is a specification.

All explosives containing metallic salts of which the various chlorate-of-potash explosives may be taken as the type are more or less dangerous to handle and are liable also to deteriorate in strength and other qualities after their manufacture, especially when they are kept in a damp place or are exposed to moisture or the purpose of overcoming or removing the defects and objectionable features above mentioned various substances have been employed to cover the granules or particles of tlie mixtnre with a protecting coating of such an elastic nature that it will prevent physical contact of the metallic salts with one another and with the particles of the other ingredients, and in addition to acting as an isolating medium the substance so used will prevent the metallic salts from absorbing moisture.

My present improvement relates, chiefly, to the application, use, and combination in and with explosives of the substances or productknown as corn-oil to cover and protect the granules bothfrom the effects of wet and moisture and also from physical contacp and also to the production of an explosive possessing in a high degree the qualities of safety in manufacture, handling, and transportation, of retaining its strength and explosive properties under exposure to change of climate and extremesof temperaturc,aud of being unaffected by dampness or moisture; and the invention is based on the discovery I not or substance known commercially as corn-oil is peculiarly adapted as a protect agent for the metallic salts and the particles of the other substances that enter as ingredients in these compounds or mixture. \Vhen mixed and incorporated with the particles' or granules of the compound, it forms a protective coating that is permanently coherent, adhesive, and elastic, rc-

extremes of temperature, and for this class or description of have made that the prodtaining its qualities and characteristics inand undergoing no change or deterioration under exposure to change of tern-- perature or climate or lapse of time between the manufacture and the use of the explosive. It is, besides, rich in carbon in an advanta geous form, being itself a hydrocarbon, and it is also found to simplify the process of manufacture of explosives of this class and to materially reduce their cost. Gornoil combines readily with other liquid hydrocarbons,

and particularly with the distillates of petro leum, thereby enabling the manufacturer of explosives containing metallic salts, carbon,

and sulfur to vary theirsensitiyeness to detonation and explosion as may be required for specific purposes by theaddition of such form t of hydrocarbons indifferent proportions.

My invention therefore consists,essentially, in the application, combination, or mixture of the substance corn-oil sives containing metallic salts and in the improved production and manufacture of an explosive of high grade composed of a metallic salt, carbon, sulfur, and corn-oil, as hereinafter fully described, and set forth in the claims at the end of this specification.

Under the name of metallic salts I include the following substances: nitrate of potash, nitrate of soda, nitrate of barium, nitrate of ammonia, nitrate of lead, nitrate of lime, chlorate of potash, chlorate of ammonia, chlorate of soda, prussiate of potash, permanganate of potash, picric acid, picrate of pot ash, picrate of ammonia, carbonate of magnesia. .Under the name of carbon, 1 include wood-charcoal, stone-coal,sugar,starch, charcoal made from peas or other leguminous seeds, charcoal made from rice, wheat,-bar-' ley, corn, oats, or cotton-seed, wood-sawdust, the leaves of trees or plants dried and pulverizodpvood-meal or wood-pulp, ground rice, wheat, oats, or barley chaff, wheat, oats, or barley bran, vheat, oats, barley, or or middlings, lampblack, and plumbago, under the name of sulfur sulfur,'refined sulfur, I tion with any of its solvents, like sulfurated benzinand the bisultid of carbon.

I include crude In carrying out and applying my invention in the production of black gunpowder or black blasting-powder I add the corn-oil in about in and with explo" 2 727,062 the proportion of eight per cent., by weight,

to the other ingredients. A powder of this grade or quality is generally composed of 11itrate of potash, nitrate of soda, sulfur, and charcoal in about the following proportions: nitrate of potash or of-potash powder is not affected by atmospheric moisture, and it can be stored for an indefinite period without undergoing rioration in strength. It is a powerful explosive and will successfully rend hard rock. Another strong powder is made by mixing soda or nitrate of potash with the chlorate of parts; sulfur, ten parts; g parts; corn-oil, eight parts. covered with the Then the ch'armixing this powder is the same as that herecoal is added and mixed with the coated and protected particles, and finally the sulfur is added and'incorporated with th sensitiveness, and I pose of changing the above formula as an powder or for the furtherpurpose of increasing or diminlshing its intensity. As the corn-oil is rich in carbon, I have found that seven per cent., by weight, of charcoal can be used instead ofthe quantity heretotherefore only give the example.

Another good a d powerful explosive is produced bysubstituting nitrate of ammonia for the nitrate of soda or potash, as mentioned in the third formula; butin such case the nitrate of ammonia should be treated first ter made according to the foregoing formula, with the corn-oil, as it is a salt that abin which fifteen per cent. of charcoal is gensorbs moisture readily and must be ahsoerally used. A gunpowder or a blastinglutely protected from exposure to atmospowder produced from theseingredients'with pheiic moisture, which can be done if the the addition of the corn-oil are found to possess several advantages over the ordinary powders or substances of the same class containing no corn-oil. They are not affected by exposure to atmospheric moisture and will not deteriorate rapidly when used for blasting in damp or Wet ground. They are also much tlon of the metallic salts from moisture and slow er in their action when exploded, theretopreventplemature explosionin compounds by reducin the breech-pressure in the case 0 this class, for the reason that it possesses of gunpowder and rendering the blastingt epropertyofindefinitelyletainlng its elasbuffer between the different substances in the composition of these explosives, thereby-preventing any chemical action taking place in the compound and effectually preventing explosion by concussion. In these particulars it will be seen to differ from many hydrocarbons heretofore used for like purposessuch, for example, as coal-tar, wood-tar, p

,eighty parts; sulfur, ten parts; Woodpulp, four parts; corn-oil,- six part. Any of the carbons hereinbefore mentioned can be used instead of wood-pulp, and for the phaltum, or any of theldistillates of petrobelng thoroughly dried and finely powdered leum. the corn-oil is carefully and thoroughly in I am aware that many vegetable oils have also been employed to corporated with the o l-protected particles of none of those which chlorate, after which the carbon is added and production of high explosives of this class re The powmain as constant or unchanged in their properties and characteristics as this substance,

- corn-oil.

All forms or varieties of explosive compounds containing corn-oil require to be fired thoroughly mixed with th or is now ready hrough sieves, blocks of any shape or size desired into paper or itch, as

or detonated with a strong fnlminate-of-mertallic salts, consisting in reducing the salts r 5 cnry cap. to a fine powder then adding corn-oil in about Having thus fully described myinvention, the proportions specified and thoroughly inwhat I claim as new therein, and desire to secorporating the same so as' to coat the gran- 5 cure by Letters Patent, isnles, and afterward adding the carbon and 1. An explosive compound composed of sulfur previously pulverized, and mixing all 20" granules of oxygen-bearing metallic salts, the ingredients together. carbon, sulfur and corn-oil. -In testimony vwhereof I have'signed my 2. An explosive compound composed of name in the presence of two subscribing wit- 10 oxygen bearing metallic salts, carbon and nesses.

- sulfur in the form of granules covered by a MELVIN WI BEARDSLEY. coating of corn-oil.

Witnesses: I

3. That improvement in the manufacture EDWARD E. OSBORN, of explosives containing oxygen-bearing me- HAnRY J. LASK. 

